The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1887-03-12
BASE INGRATITUDE!

The Ottawa Journal, In It's slashing
around among the county officers, accusing
about all of being boodlers and thieves,
comes down with particularly crushing
force on ex Sheriff Milligan, whom 1t &C
cuses of having pocketed, during his four
years of office. In addition to his modest
salary of $4,000 a year, about s6O,0 Of
the peoples money in the shape of per.
qulsites"
Now, not stopping to analyze or question
the Journals figures or Its insinuations
against the exsheritf Of exceedingly sharp
practice, If no worse, we submit that this
assault upon him is the height of ingrati.
tude. Why, five years ago, when the Jour.
nal was on the point Of "petering OUT
las oft since hath betided wasn't 1t VIM.
H. Milligan who came to us and implored us
10 do Its press work, solemnly engaging to
be personally responsible to us for at least
$50, to run 1t until after the election Well,
we did II to oblige sold Bill" and though
II cuts no figure lii this fight, we may men
tion incidentally that he wholly ilunked
out of paying the $50 himself, but after
several months of persistent toll screwed
about $40 out of the other candidates, and
that Is all we ever got of the $50 for that
job, to say nothing of going back on con.
siderable more he had promised us for
other extra work
But that Is neither here nor there-what
we wish to empasize is the ingratitude of
the Journal now walking soruthlessly into
poor Milligan, after he had saved its life
at the very turning point of its existence,
and gave 1t all his patronage afterwards,
coddling 1t, nursing 1t, bearing 1t up In his
huge paws and warming 1t In his masurial
bosom, and now this viper sting! and 1t is
all the more wanton and vicious, az Ii really
brings no specific charges of any kind
Suppose Milligan did retire from the
Sheriff's office with $4,000, $4,000 of
which came directly out of the county
Didn't he get the money In strictly law
full way?
Let us see
lie boarded on an everage 20 prisoners
continuously during his four years at the
modest charge of $3.50 week for board
and about $l50 more for washing and
mending-say IS per week--or, in round
figures, tor tine four years, at cost of $40
600 to the the county. 1t is true, IS week
for such board, where the county found
the stoves, crockery, fuel, beds, &c, was a
pretty steep Price-almost up to Clifton
House figures, Jut didn't committee of
the Board OF Supervisors agree that the
price was reasonable one, and didn't the
Board generously vote the money? Was
"Bill" TO blame for that?
Then In summoning jurors, subprnalng
witnesses, and serving all kinds of papers,
wasn't 1t necessary that the sheriff or his
deputies must do considerable travelling,
and didn't the law require an allowance
from the county for travelling expenses ,
Well, Bill had two good teams, and about
every day from Monday to Saturday night,
Burt Barratt and Mike Riordvn we're chas.
ing from one end Of the county to the
other with these teams, summoning Jurors
serving papers, &c. Now the same gener.
Gus committee of the Board of Supervis-
ors agreed that 81 per day, the county nav.
Ing In addition hotel bills for man and
beast, was Q reasonable price for these
teams. Thus the cute and ingenious Bill
got In, during his four years, some $4,000